The diary of No.

5 of the after port gun, from which this narrative is taken, says of him: "'Kid' Thompson is the ship's human mascot and all-round favorite with officers and men.

His bump of respect is a depression, but his fund of ready wit and his unvarying good nature are irresistible.

He is eighteen years of age, and is a 'powder monkey' on Number Sixteen, a six-pounder on the spar deck.

This gun and Number Fifteen were the last to obey the order to cease firing during the bombardment of Santiago." During the fight with the Spanish gunboat it chanced that the port battery was not engaged for a brief period, so the "Kid," with the rest of Number Sixteen crew, were at rest.